Paint spray guns are most commonly provided with a solid metal body and an integral handle which are bored out to form paint and air passages and chambers for a triggering mechanism and for seals. During use, paint may accumulate on the exterior of the gun. Cleaning the exterior of the gun may necessitate submersion of the entire gun in solvent. It may be necessary to partially disassemble the gun to remove trapped solvent after cleaning. Some spray guns are provided with a plastic cover which encloses a frame including a body, a handle and a portion of the trigger mechanism. The cover is secured with screws set into recessed cavities in the cover. The cover can be removed from the frame to facilitate cleaning. Once removed, the cover is easily cleaned without having to submerge the entire gun in solvent and, once cleaned, the cover is easily dried. Removing a number of screws may be time consuming and there is a risk that the small screws will be lost. On spray guns and other tools, ease of cleaning and servicing with a minimum of tools is a valued product feature.
Providing a removable cover on a hand tool has an additional advantage. Tools are sometimes accidentally dropped or otherwise damaged during use. If the cover is damaged, it may be replaced. If the tool has no replaceable cover, it is necessary to construct the tool from stronger, heavier materials to reduce the risk of damage. This increases the weight of the tool which in turn increases operator fatigue during use.